WSU, Premier Health schedule an appointment

DAYTON – Raj Mitra, MD, has been named dean of Wright State University’s Boonshoft School of Medicine and chief academic officer at Premier Health. He is the first to hold the new dual role, responsible for driving groundbreaking initiatives through more integrated delivery of academic and clinical services at both institutions.

Dr. Mitra comes to the Miami Valley from Florida, where he served as professor of medicine and associate dean for clinical affairs at the University of Central Florida (UCF) College of Medicine and as chief medical officer at UCF Health.

His appointment to this new position will be effective March 10, 2025 and follows a nationwide search and review of dozens of candidates led by a nationally recognized recruiting firm.

“I was particularly inspired by the two organizations’ shared mission to support the community through outstanding innovative research, exceptional teaching and world-class patient care,” said Dr. Mitra. “This is particularly timely in southern Ohio and across our country, where we will face significant physician shortages over the next decade.”

As a nationally recognized expert in rehabilitation medicine and pain management, Dr. Mitra has made significant contributions to research, consulting and policy development, particularly in addressing the country’s opioid crisis. His expertise has been utilized by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), where he served as a medical advisor, and by the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention as an expert advisor.

“We are very excited about what lies ahead,” said Wright State University President Sue Edwards. “Dr. Mitra’s appointment will advance the region’s medical, clinical and nursing workforce and enhance our research culture by creating a more robust learning environment for our students and providing patients with greater access to vital, highly specialized medical care closer to home.”

The appointment of Dr. Mitra’s appointment to the newly created position is the latest milestone in an unprecedented alignment and strengthened connection between Wright State and Premier Health.

“Dr. Mitra embodies our commitment to excellence in clinical teaching, which is central to the missions of both of our institutions,” said Mike Riordan, President and CEO of Premier Health. “We are pleased to have a nurse and researcher of his caliber advance our path to becoming the region’s academic medical center.”

In his last position, Dr. Mitra was a key member of the University of Central Florida President’s Health Cabinet and oversaw all efforts related to university health care, including direct patient care, clinically-oriented research, medical school partnerships and affiliation agreements. and the establishment of new clinical practice locations.

Dr. Mitra earned his Doctor of Medicine degree from the College of Human Medicine at Michigan State University and completed his residency and fellowship training in physical medicine, rehabilitation and pain management at Harvard Medical School. His distinguished career includes positions as Senator Robert J. Dole Professor and Chairman of the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine at the University of Kansas Medical Center, where he led clinical, research and diversity efforts, and Director of the Interventional Spine Center at Stanford University School of Medicine , Head of the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and Medical Director of Rehabilitation Services.

During his tenure at the University of Kansas Medical Center, Dr. Mitra has been instrumental in expanding clinical and research programs focused on disabilities, establishing new clinical service lines, fostering residency and fellowship growth, and establishing a highly respected National Institutes of Health-funded research program.

Dr. Mitra is editor-in-chief of Principles of Rehabilitation Medicine, a comprehensive reference work published by McGraw Hill. His academic achievements include being awarded the prestigious Fulbright-Nehru Distinguished Chair Scholarship in 2017, during which he spent four months in India teaching and researching how disability occurs in order to provide cost-effective solutions to the country’s Ministry of Health .

Dr. Mitra and his wife Shilpa are Midwestern natives and are excited to return home with their three children “to experience the beauty” of the Miami Valley’s four seasons. “We are a sports-loving family, so in our free time you will likely find us on the soccer field or hiking in the local parks,” he said.

Highlights of the 30-year partnership agreement between the university and the health system include, in addition to Dr, training and programs to expand the nursing workforce; non-voting representation on the board of the other institution; and a Joint Operating Committee that drives strategic partnership initiatives.